The Benko Gambit: Move by Move

146 Pages·2.291 MB·English

by  Tay J.

Series Foreword
Move by Move is a series of opening books which uses a question-and-answer format. One of our main aims of the
series is to replicate – as much as possible – lessons between chess teachers and students.
All the way through, readers will be challenged to answer searching questions, to test their skills in chess openings
and indeed in other key aspects of the game. It's our firm belief that practising your skills like this is an excellent
way to study chess openings, and to study chess in general.
Many thanks go to all those who have been kind enough to offer inspiration, advice and assistance in the creation
of Move by Move. We're really excited by this series and hope that readers will share our enthusiasm.
John Emms
Everyman Chess
Introduction
What is the Benko Gambit?
This book is about the Benko Gambit which has served me well for the past 14 years in correspondence chess and
over-the-board play. The Benko Gambit (or if you prefer the Eastern European version, the Volga Gambit) arises
after the moves 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5.
It is named after the American Grandmaster and former World Championship Candidate Pal Benko who popularized
the opening by playing it almost without exception whenever the opportunity presented itself, and against all kinds
of opposition. Benko published his games and commentary in Chess Life and Review frequently and according to
his book, The Benko Gambit (RHM 1973), he had "as much as announced publicly that anyone can play against
me with an extra pawn within a few moves of the opening."
Why play the Benko Gambit?
1)For the price of a pawn (sometimes even two), Black obtains tremendous queenside pressure and puts White on
the defensive early in the game. This may give Black an early psychological edge. In the final round of both the
2003 and the 2009 Cairnhill Open (Singapore), I won two games relatively quickly against a former National
Champion and National Master. The first was a Benko Gambit Declined and the second time round, my opponent
gave a huge sigh after 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5, played the insipid 3 e3 to avoid the Benko Gambit and allowed me to
equalize very quickly.
2)Black's motifs in the Benko are quite clear cut: pile as much pressure as possible on the queenside, try to find
ideal squares for the knights in the vicinity of White (usually b4, c4 and d3), and at the right time, undermine White's
centre. Many a time at amateur level, White's pieces are reduced to the first three ranks trying to cope with Black's
threats. At club level it is far easier to attack than to defend and thus easier for White to make mistakes early on in
the Benko Gambit.
3)When I started playing correspondence chess in the late 90s, I wanted to look for a black opening which
computer engines did not assess well. The Benko Gambit was the perfect weapon for me as the engines frequently
assessed that White was winning or clearly better in Benko middlegames and endgames which are tenable or even
good for Black. These days, the engines view positional factors such as space and initiative more favourably than
in the past and are better at assessing compensation for material. GM Larry Kaufman, the co-developer of the
powerful Komodo chess engine, concurred, stating: "I would even say 'much better' rather than just 'better'. This
was not gradual, it pretty much happened with Rybka 2.3 and Rybka 3, and all later programs are similar in this
respect."
My Benko passed muster in correspondence play. One of my first high-level CC games was against the Russian
Correspondence Chess Champion Sergey Romanov and I fought him to a draw. In 12 Benko Gambit games I was
unbeaten and the only one time I played against it with white at correspondence, I got beaten like a drum. The point
I want to make is that it is still playable even at master level correspondence chess, even if opponents have months
to analyse with so many resources at hand.
4)The Benko has been played by many of the world's leading players such as Garry Kasparov, Magnus Carlsen,
Viswanathan Anand, Veselin Topalov, Vassily Ivanchuk and Fabiano Caruana to name just a few. Two particular
incidents stand out for me with respect to the Benko Gambit:
i.In the final round of the 1986 Dubai Olympiad, the Soviets needed to blank Poland 4-0 to overcome Hungary's
lead and so claim the gold medals. It was at this juncture that Garry Kasparov resorted to the Benko Gambit and
won a tense game against Wlodzimierz Schmidt to help secure the top spot for USSR.
ii.Viswanathan Anand shockingly lost the first game of the 2001 FIDE Knockout World Cup to an internet qualifier,
the French IM Olivier Touzanne. In a must-win second game, he essayed the Benko Gambit to win in 23 moves and
even the score (eventually winning the match on tiebreak).
5)See for yourself the fundamental concepts of the Benko Gambit as applied convincingly by the man himself,
Grandmaster Pal Benko, during his heyday.
Firstly, a forceful demonstration of queenside pressure.
A.Segal-P.Benko
Sao Paulo 1973
A typical set-up for Black, placing the king's rook on b8 to exert pressure down the b-file.
17 Bc1 Nfd7
Getting ready to unleash the dark-squared bishop's power over White's queenside.
18 h3 Nc4
Pressing the b2 soft spot. Sometimes Black also has ...Na3 tricks after going ...Nc4.
19 Kh2 Qb6
Exerting even more pressure on the b-file.
20 Ne4 Qb4
Preparing ...Qa4 to weaken White on the a-file as well.
21 Ned2 Qa4 22 Nxc4 Bxc4 23 Bg5
23...Rxb3!
A combination to win back the gambited pawn as well as exchange a couple of pieces.
24 axb3 Bxb3 25 Qd2 Bxd1 26 Rxd1 Bf6
After winning the pawn back, Black usually retains his positional advantage and this is a good example.
27 Bf4? Rb8
Hitting the weakness.
28 Rb1 h5 29 Bg5 Bxg5 30 Qxg5 Nf6 31 Qe3 Rb7
The e7-pawn is usually easier to defend than White's isolani on b2.
32 Rc1
White gives up the b2-pawn which would have fallen sooner or later, since Black has ...c5-c4-c3 looming. Indeed,
after 32 Qc3 Qa2 33 Qc1 Rb8 Black can start rolling the c-pawn down the board.
32...Qb3 33 Rc3 Qxb2 34 Ra3 Kg7
White has zero counterplay and resigned in 14 more moves.
Next, a demonstration of how Benko undermined White's centre and then took over that sector with some powerful
piece play.
R.Gross-P.Benko
Aspen Open 1968
14...e6!
Black decided to undermine the white centre with the idea of eradicating it thanks to pressure from the h1-a8
diagonal.
15 dxe6 fxe6 16 Be3 Qc6!
Exerting more pressure on the centre, with the aim of advancing the d-pawn to stress it yet further.
17 Qd2?
In Benko's own The Benko Gambit, he wrote that "White underestimated the danger from Black's advancing mobile
centre."
17...d5!
Black already has a huge advantage here, whether White gives up or tries to hold the centre.
18 exd5 exd5 19 Bf4 d4!
Opening up the long diagonal for Black's queen.
20 Na4 Nfd5
Now the king's rook comes into play as well and the centralized knights do their part to wreck White's kingside
structure, since the bishop cannot move away.
21 Rhf1 Ne6 22 Rf2 d3 23 Ng1
23 Qxd3 is met by 23...Rxf4! when the rook cannot be captured because of the potential queen fork.
23...Nexf4+ 24 gxf4 Nxf4+ 25 Kh1 Bd4 26 Rff1 Ne2 0-1
White resigned due to the insurmountable threats.
On this note, we start the book proper. I do hope you will enjoy the examples and commentary from this, my very
first chess book, as I have attempted to include, to the best of my knowledge, examples which are currently
theoretically relevant, as well as some of my own games, in particular my correspondence games which always
require months of analysis.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
I would especially like to thank the following for their help in making this work possible:
IMs Goh Wei Ming, Lim Yee Weng and Miodrag Perunovic for their help in assessing positions and providing key
advice.
IM Erik Kislik for generously sharing his superb Benko Gambit theory and taking the time to analyse some key
positions.
CM Olimpiu Urcan for his persistent reminders that I needed to graduate from writing articles to authoring a book,
as well as for ideas on writing this book.
GM John Emms, a very patient chief editor who has to deal with my constant edits and updates.
Assistant Editor, IM Richard Palliser for his meticulous proofreading and editing (even working at the book on
Christmas Day!).
Most of all, I want to thank my wife, WFM Yip Fong Ling, for her constant encouragement, full support and valuable
'time-off' to write my first chess book, a cherished ambition of mine.
Junior Tay,
February 2014,
Balestier, Singapore
Segal,A the board. ]
Benko,P 32...£b3 33. ¦c3 £xb2 34. ¦a3 ¢g7
Sao Paulo 1973 White has zero counterplay and resigned
[Junior Tay] in 14 more moves.
a b c d e f g h
Gross,R
8 8 Benko,P
Aspen Open 1968
7 7
[Junior Tay]
6 6
5 5 a b c d e f g h
4 4 8 8
3 3 7 7
2 2 6 6
1 1 5 5
a b c d e f g h
4 4
A typical set-up for Black, placing the 3 3
king's rook on b8 to exert pressure down
2 2
the b-file.
17.¥c1 ¤fd7 Getting ready to unleash 1 1
the dark-squared bishop's power over
a b c d e f g h
White's queenside.
18.h3 ¤c4 Pressing the b2 soft spot. 14...e6! Black decided to undermine the
Sometimes Black also has ...Na3 tricks white centre with the idea of eradicating it
after going ...Nc4. thanks to pressure from the h1-a8
19.¢h2 £b6 Exerting even more diagonal.
pressure on the b-file. 15.dxe6 fxe6 16. ¥e3 £c6! Exerting
20.¤e4 £b4 Preparing ...Qa4 to weaken more pressure on the centre, with the aim
White on the a-file as well. of advancing the d-pawn to stress it yet
21.¤ed2 £a4 22. ¤xc4 ¥xc4 23. ¥g5 further.
¦xb3! A combination to win back the 17.£d2? In Benko's own 'The Benko
gambited pawn as well as exchange a Gambit', he wrote that "White
couple of pieces. underestimated the danger from Black's
24.axb3 ¥xb3 25. £d2 ¥xd1 26. ¦xd1 advancing mobile centre."
¥f6 After winning the pawn back, Black d5! Black already has a huge advantage
usually retains his positional advantage here, whether White gives up or tries to
and this is a good example. hold the centre.
27.¥f4? ¦b8 Hitting the weakness. 18.exd5 exd5 19. ¥f4 d4! Opening up
28.¦b1 h5 29. ¥g5 ¥xg5 30. £xg5 ¤f6 the long diagonal for Black's queen.
31.£e3 ¦b7 The e7-pawn is usually 20.¤a4 ¤fd5 Now the king's rook comes
easier to defend than White's isolani on b2. into play as well and the centralized
32.¦c1 White gives up the b2-pawn which knights do their part to wreck White's
would have fallen sooner or later, since kingside structure, since the bishop cannot
Black has ...c5-c4-c3 looming. move away.
[Indeed, after 32. £c3 £a2 33. £c1 ¦b8 21.¦hf1 ¤e6 22. ¦f2 d3 23. ¤g1
Black can start rolling the c-pawn down [ 23.£xd3is met by ¦xf4!when the rook
cannot be captured because of the
potential queen fork. ]
23...¤exf4+ 24.gxf4 ¤xf4+ 25. ¢h1 ¥d4
26.¦ff1 ¤e2 White resigned due to the
insurmountable threats.
0-1
Chapter One
The King Takes a Stroll
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 cxb5 a6 5 bxa6 g6 6 Nc3 Bxa6 7 e4 Bxf1 8 Kxf1
In the chapter, we'll examine the most topical line in the Benko Gambit Accepted where White accepts the gambit
pawn and castles artificially. This is the most natural line where White digests the gambit pawn and plays to shore
up his queenside while consolidating his extra pawn. In 2012, the reputation of the Benko Gambit took a beating
when Benko Gambit expert Viorel Bologan sustained losses against both the world no.1 Magnus Carlsen and the
American no.1 Hikaru Nakamura in this variation at Biel. In both cases, White kept his pawn advantage and nursed
it all the way into the endgame. Hence, this line is extremely important from a theoretical viewpoint.
The First Few Moves
Let's go through the first few moves of this variation.
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5
This constitutes the Benko Gambit. Black opens up the b-file for his rook and tries to prise the c4-pawn away from
its defence of the d5-pawn.
4 cxb5
White accepts the gambit pawn.
4...a6
Black offers to exchange White's extra pawn to open up the a-file as well and to develop his queen bishop swiftly.
5 bxa6
In for a penny, in for a pound. White accepts the challenge and goes one clean pawn up.
5...g6
Question: Why not recapture the pawn immediately with 5...Bxa6?
Answer: This requires a brief explanation. Against 5...Bxa6, White has done well traditionally with 6 g3 d6 7 Bg2 g6
8 b3! Bg7 9 Bb2 when Black's dark-squared bishop is well contested by the bishop on b2 (in my database involving
players rated 2200 and above, White has scored a very respectable 64% in this line), and the white queenside
pawn structure has been bolstered to boot. In Chapter 2: Flummoxing the Fianchetto Variation, you will see the
great lengths White takes there to establish his bishop on b2 in order to shore up the queenside.
Question: So why does 5...g6 make a difference?
Answer: After 5...g6, if White plays 6 b3, Black can improvise with 6...Nxa6! when the knight can stir up trouble
with an eventual ...Nb4 hitting a2 and d5.
6 Nc3
White develops the knight on its natural square and shores up b2 as well. White also lends support to the d5-pawn
as well as the e2-e4 central push.
6...Bxa6
Black takes over the a6-f1 diagonal immediately and also helps clear the back rank to allow the king's rook to move
to the b-file faster. Remember, Black has gambited a pawn and therefore has to play for swift development before
White can consolidate his queenside and realize his extra pawn.
7 e4
Question: Is this good? Doesn't White lose the right to castle and have to waste one more move getting the king to
the g-file?
Answer: White indeed has to 'lose' a move by having the king move again to g1 or g2 (after g2-g3). However, there
are several factors that are favourable for him:
1)If Black exchanges the bishop on a6 for the one on f1, his light-squared bishop has been exchanged for a piece
which didn't have to make a move.
2)White has put his central pawns on light squares, which, in a sense, gives his light-squared bishop less scope.
Hence, the exchange makes sense.
3)In some variations, White might even leave the rook on h1 to play for a kingside attack with h2-h4-h5.
7...Bxf1
Denying White castling rights while giving the black knight and perhaps later the queen or a rook the a6-square to
operate from.
8 Kxf1 d6
Putting a stop to e4-e5, which would give White very strong central presence.
We've arrived at our first divide and must consider a number of ideas for both sides.
A)12 Qe2 and a2-a4
After the standard moves 9 g3 Bg7 10 Kg2 0-0 11 Nf3 Nbd7, currently the vogue continuation in the Benko Gambit
is 12 a4 or 12 Qe2 followed by 13 a4 with the omission of both the once standard h2-h3 (to deny Black's knight's
access to g4) and Rfe1 (this rook will instead head for the queenside). This can be attributed to its successful use
by the new world champion Magnus Carlsen and the mercurial American GM Hikaru Nakamura. In
Haugen-Gonzalez, we examine how Black can try to neutralize the a4/Ra3/Nb5 bind.